Your Right to Know

NEW YORK — House Speaker John Boehner said yesterday that he’s ready to return to the bargaining
table to avert the fiscal cliff, while President Barack Obama made no mention of the standoff in
his weekly address.

With Obama traveling to Hawaii for his annual holiday break, Boehner said the president needs to
be more flexible to reach an agreement.

“Of course, hope springs eternal, and I know we have it in use to come together and do the right
thing,” said the West Chester Republican, who delivered the party’s weekly radio address. “Because
of the political divide in the country, because of the divide here in Washington, trying to bridge
these differences has been difficult. If it were easy, I guarantee you this would have been done
decades before.”

In his weekly speech, Obama thanked U.S. troops and their families for their service to the
country. He also mentioned families affected by the massacre of 20 elementary-school children in
Newtown, Conn.

Scaling back plans for a wide budget pact with Republicans, Obama on Friday presented a fresh
proposal to extend tax cuts for most Americans and prevent some budget cuts.